Isaiah 54:15-17 – “If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me;
Whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you.  ¹⁶ Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose.  I have also created the ravager to destroy; ¹⁷     no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

While contemplating what I was reading in Isaiah, the Holy Spirit gave me an extraordinarily powerful sense of comfort.   Isaiah 49:8 speaks of God’s timing.   It is a reminder that God answers our sincere cries and brings to us His salvation.

God’s freedom given to us enables us to set captives free.   We are empowered to bring Hope to those hiding in the shadows in fear.  We bring Hope to the Hopeless because of the Hope in us.

We read in Isaiah 49:16 – “Behold, I have inscribed you upon the palms of My hands…”  That is Amazing!   In Isaiah 49:25, we have the promise that God will contend with those who contend with us.  Consider that!  That is incredibly comforting!

Isaiah 54:2-4 should be read often.   We sometimes hesitate to step out and pursue our dreams.  If our dreams are inspired by selfishness, they bring sorrow and confusion.   But if they are God inspired, we have the promise of God’s help.  With His help, we are to expand the place of our tents without fear. 

Isaiah 54:17 contains a promise, so incredibly few actually believe it literally.

“NO WEAPON…”   How many weapons?  NONE!  No Weapon formed against us has any hope of success.  “EVERY TONGUE…”  How many tongues and naysayers?  NONE!  No Tongue that speaks against us has any chance to prevail.  We will Condemn and Defeat them!   That is our Heritage in the Lord!

The question is, “Who and Whose are you?”   If we are born-again blood, washed, redeemed children of God, we are Family!  God is our father.   Jesus, our elder brother.  We are an heir and jointly share the inheritance of Jesus. 

From that position, how can we doubt?  With that heritage, the promise is life with no sense of lack or defeat.

So, “Who are we?”   Do we say about ourselves what God has already said?  We agree with one side or the other, but there is no middle ground.

We need to “Agree with God” even if we do not feel like it, look like it, or have a history of it being experiential in our lives.  God said it!  Therefore, let us choose to believe God.  Then, begin reaching for it.   It will come if we press forward and press in.

May the abundant overflow of God’s Grace, Peace, Power, and Love be yours today and every day!

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  NASU

As we begin 2025, I firmly believe we should start at the beginning and move forward from a solid and sure foundation.  Too often, we try to plug in somewhere rather than begin at the beginning. 

• Some attempt to begin in the middle, have no history or foundation for the past, fail to understand the present, and miss the future. 
• Some want to go to the end and see how it turns out, but they have no foundation, experience, or history to lead them to that point of ultimate culmination. 
• I believe that it is imperative that we ‘begin at the beginning’ and lay a proper foundation that is anchored in God’s Truth.

The pertinent question is – “How did it all begin?”   Genesis Chapter One, Verse One tells us that it began with GOD!   God, the creator, created the ‘heavens and the earth.’  The first twelve chapters of the Book of Genesis are foundationally critical to understanding the rest of the Old Testament and any of the New. 

Genesis could rightly be called the ‘seed book’ of the Bible.  Knowing that God is systematic and orderly in His presentation and progression enables us to believe His report and record easily.  God has given us an explicit guide or basis of information at the beginning of the most important book we will ever read.

If you begin with a ‘Big Bang,’ you will not see God as the creator.  Why?  Because you are a believer in ‘random chance.’ That is your explanation for the entirety of creation and man’s existence. 

• For me, that would be like taking a few railroad carloads of printer type, a shovel, scooping them up, throwing them into the air, and expecting a novel of epic proportions to come forth. 
• It would be like taking the pieces of a watch and placing them in a bag, shaking them up, and expecting a finely tuned precision timepiece to be the result. 

Scientists cannot explain the complexities of man’s nervous system with the miles of blood vessels, nerves, etc.  Design implies a designer, and it would take far more ‘faith’ for me to believe the theory of evolution, the Big Bang, or some other theory other than “In the beginning God created….”

We will arrive at the wrong destination if we begin at the wrong premise.  If we start anywhere other than “In the beginning God…”  We begin wrong and will come to an incorrect conclusion.  Therefore, if you want me to explain everything about God, you ask the wrong person.  I do not believe you will ever find a human who can fill that role. 

However, allow me to turn the tables. You explain the complexities of the human body, the universe, its operation, and life in general. I am sorry I asked a challenging question, and I contend that you can only explain what you believe based on what you have been taught and your willingness or unwillingness to consider the biblical account. 

Your scientific evidence is not evidence; it is theoretical postulations from people such as Charles Darwin and others. You ignore the holes in the theories and still cling to them because it makes you feel secure not having to acknowledge the existence and power of God because that would make you accountable to Him.  

When I say ‘you,’ I am not implying that everyone who reads or hears this disbelieves the biblical record.  I believe and hope that most of you are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as we begin this New Year, let us commit to going back to the beginning and begin there with God as the starting point of our life.   It does not matter where you are on your journey from the cradle to the grave; going back to review the foundation is never a bad thing.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Revelation 21:22 – “The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, FOR the glory of GOD brightens it and the Lamb is the lamp of it.”

Today, my reading took me to Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21. The Holy Spirit used similar verbiage in those chapters to speak to my heart. He caused me to focus on the New Jerusalem and the Wonder of God.

Isaiah 60:19 – “The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light to you; for the LORD shall be to you an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.”

Revelation 21:22 – “The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of GOD brightens it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it.”

As I read those passages, the wonder of heaven became clearer than I had previously imagined.  It makes me homesick for heaven.  However, what the Lord spoke to my heart was something for right now.

When we enter the Light of God, who is light, that light dispels everything that weighs us down and hinders our progress.  That light lifts burdens and heals (body, soul, and spirit).  That light sets us free totally.

Isaiah 60:19 tells us of a healing we all need in some area of our lives.  “…and the days of your mourning shall be ended.”

The joy of God and the imagery of heaven turn tears into joy.  How can I not rejoice when I truly see heaven, my eternal destiny?  No matter what I’m weeping over, seeing His light and the awesomeness of heaven deposits joy without measure.

This morning, heaven is on my mind.  I think of that great host of those I love who have gone before me, and I imagine their exquisite exuberant joy right now, and tears of joy fill my heart.   One Day, we will see that too.   One Day, we will hear the sounds, see the sights, and feel the feeling they now know.

Heaven makes my heart rejoice. Jesus is coming, and I believe very soon.  Let heaven fill your heart.  It will do what nothing else can.   One Day, One Day Soon!

Let Heaven fill your heart here and now.  Have a great day in Jesus!

Matthew 18:1 – “At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

This morning, the Lord caused me to reflect on flawed humanity, mine and others. The disciples showed their flawed understanding and self-centeredness multiple times. Yet, God transformed and used them mightily. 

In Matthew 18:1, they asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  Was that seeking historical insight, or was it?  Their question was, “Which of us is best?”

Peter’s question on forgiveness seems to reveal which.  How often do I have to forgive before I can get my pound of flesh?  Matthew 19:24 caused such shock the disciples questioned if anyone could be saved.  Was it because they were rich or wanted to be?

Matthew 20:20-28 speaks to their humanness and self-centeredness.   James and John, in tow by Momma, asked for preeminence in the kingdom for the two boys.  The others were angry.  Was it righteous anger or jealousy wanting the same thing?

True discipleship is servanthood.  The flesh does not like to serve because it requires self-effacing subservience.   It requires putting the needs of others above our wants and ambitions.

But, if He is First, having a servant’s heart becomes easy because there we die to self and refuse to let there be a resurrection of the flesh.  That is Only Possible through the Holy Spirit. 

• Love serves and does not demand.  
• Love gives and does not expect a return. 
• Love exposes itself, not fearing hurt. 
• Love surrenders the heart to the object of its love. 
• Love is powerful and can defeat the flawed nature of the flesh.

Today, we know God’s love is available.   Receive it and allow it to produce that manifestation in our lives.   Love God.  Love people, and then we can love ourselves rightly.

We all have flaws, but so do those nearest to Jesus.  They overcame it through love, and so can we.  We can manifest who He says we are. 

Have a victorious day in Him!